| Eastern Religion Comparison Essay, Research Paper
Brandon Carson
History and
Philosophy of
Religion
Final Exam
May 3, 1999
Over the past several thousand years, many faiths have arisen and developed all
over the globe. All of these faiths are unique and seem to be quite different from each
other, at least on the surface. However, when one starts to investigate more closely he
realizes that there are oftentimes some startling similarities. A good example of this would
be the religious traditions of the Middle East and Asia. Buddhism, Hinduism, and
Confucianism, for example, have very similar philosophies and practices while they all
have different origins. Upon examination of these faiths one will be able to more clearly
see the relationship between the traditions of the Middle East.
In Christianity, we bind our selves to the truth unveiled through scripture, myths,
tradition, and the church?s teachings. Hinduism, however has a much different
interpretation of the idea of binding oneself to the truth. Like many religions Hindus have
the basic belief that we all came from God and we must return to God. According to the
Hindu faith, the way to accomplishing this is through freeing oneself from the material
possessions and pleasures and thus obtaining Moksha. Moksha, for Hindus, would be the
point of freedom and the attachment to Brahman. The goal of a Hindu is to release
themselves, but also to gain a complete understanding of life. By doing this, they are freed
from the continuous cycle of reincarnation. The yogas are the specific direction taken to
unleash the human potential of Moksha. The goal of the yogas is to come in to and remain
in touch with Brahman. The first way to God is through knowledge. The three steps taken
on this path is learning, thinking, and the third, a little more complex, consists of
separating one?s material ego form one?s Atman. The second way to God is through love.
The love we show to others can be translated into a love for God. The third path to
God is though work. Through a devotion to one?s work, God can be seen through the
highest rewards if done so wisely. The final Hindu path to God is through Psychophysical
Exercises. In this way, a Hindu experiments with mental exercises and observing their
effects. Not all Hindus take the same path to God, but the goal is identical.
The Buddha made much reform to the path to God. Well, not so much a reform
as perhaps an alternate route. He called this the Middle Path. A way between sensuality
and asceticism, the Middle Path lay through intelligence. All forms of life, according to the
Buddha, can be shown to have three characteristics in common; impermanence, suffering,
and an absence of permanent soul which separates us from other forms of life. The
Buddha also pointed out that nothing is the same as is was only a moment ago. Everything
is changing. Even the hills are being worn away, and every human particle is being
replaced every seven years. There is no finality or rest within the universe, only a ceaseless
becoming and never-ending change. Buddhism denies that man has an immortal soul. The
Enlightenment which dwells in life does not belong to one form of life. Man is always
changing and entirely mortal. In addition, Buddhism is a natural religion. It does not
violate either mind or body. The Buddha became aware that men are born and die
according to their good or evil actions, according to their self-created Karma — the
consequences of good or evil deeds. Even though there are several different forms of
Buddhism that have come into existence since Buddha?s death, there is still a basic essence
that all Buddhists agree with. All Buddhists recognize these. In all, there are four basic
noble truths. The first noble truth of the world according to Buddha is dhukka, or
suffering. The second truth is tanha, or desire, which is the cause of suffering. The third
truth is that in order to free oneself from suffering, one must overcome desire. The fourth
truth tells us how this can be accomplished through the eight-fold path. According to
Buddha, the eight-fold path is the means to achieve liberation from suffering. It helps one
weed out cravings and ignorance, to overcome rebirth, old age, disease, death, sorrows,
lamentation, grief and despair. It helps to end mass misery and aids people in attaining
Nirvana, or salvation. Specifically, this path includes: 1. Right View 2. Right Thought 3.
Right Speech 4. Right Action 5. Right Livelihood 6. Right Effort 7. Right Mindfulness 8.
Right Concentration The most simple teaching of the Buddha was to do good, to avoid
evil and to purify the heart. The main revolutionary idea behind the Buddha?s teachings
was that he rejected asceticism, which at that time had been a popular belief and a socially
approved route to salvation. Not only did he reject self-denial, but the worship of gods. In
his Eightfold Path, there is never any mention of worship. Also, he refuted the idea that
one had to pass through countless rebirths to reach the Brahmin caste before being able to
obtain salvation. For this very reason, Buddhism ultimately failed in India, because of the
widespread control by the Brahmins. The most challenging concept for the Hindus to
except was that the Buddha taught that the soul did not exist. Hindus thought that the
Atman, or soul, was actually God. The Buddha reasoned that if the soul is purely God,
then it is not individual and therefore is an An-Atman, or no soul. The achievement of
liberation then for Buddhist takes form in Nirvana. Nirvana occurs when people release
their yearning for a false selfhood, which is similar to Hinduism. Paradoxically, as with
Hinduism, the act of extinguishing this yearning occurs simultaneously with an
enlightenment.
As one can see, there is quite a strong relationship between Buddhism and
Hinduism. They are very different in many aspects yet they have many similarities upon
closer examination. Another religion which one can relate Hinduism and Buddhism to is
Confucianism. Although Confucianism originated from Asia rather than India, some very
interesting comparisons can be made. The premise of Confucian teachings are centered
around the idea of Jen or the virtue of humanity. To accomplish this divinity, five
relationships must be honored: ruler and minister, father and son, husband and wife, elder
and younger brother, and friend and friend. These relationships led a push for a revolution
of the political system to adopt the methods of Jen. Confucius sought to revive the
ancient Chinese culture by redefining the importance of society and government. He
described a society governed by reasonable, humane, and just sensibilities, not by the
passions of individuals arbitrarily empowered by hereditary status. He felt that this could
be achieved through education and the unification of cultural beliefs. He believed that a
nation would be benefited by citizens that were cultivated people whose intellects and
emotions had been developed and matured by conscious people. He felt that those born
into the feudal system had a personal duty to excel socially by means of power. Those
who were of lesser class should also seek out education to better themselves. All
purposes for betterment of man and society as one whole is known as Li. Li means the
rationalized social order. Confucius felt that love and respect for authority was a key to a
perfect society; this strict respect was practiced through rituals and magic. The Confucius
traditions have caused a tradition to set within its institution and is extremely active. It
has, unfortunately, allowed the political institution to manipulate the Confucius system.
On the surface, the practices and philosophies of confucianism appear to differ
greatly from those of its Indian counterparts. Confucianism is much more politically
oriented while Hinduism and Buddhism are more self oriented. However, The main
connection behind all three different beliefs is their striving for order and balance.
Confucianism strives for order and balance through Jen and Li, while Hinduism and
Buddhism use Yogas and the eight fold path. This balance and order brought about these
different practices extends to a greater purpose which all three of these religions have in
common, to achieve a higher form of enlightenment.
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